Nowadays, I doubt if you 'll find a university (or similar) translation course that doesn't heavily feature CAT tools. However, not every working translator uses them or needs to, although things in general do seem to be heading down that slippery slope.

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Theo BernardsFrance Local time: 08:46 English to Dutch + ...

Depends on both the translation at hand and the translator.

Sep 29, 2013

I was during my first year as a freelance translator blissfully unaware of CAT-tools (let alone having knowledge of them), although I very early felt that there should be some software that would keep the ever recurring legal phraseology in user manuals in some sort of grand translations memory.

I know literature translators that don't use CAT-tools and they appear to be making more money than I am, so the idea that CAT-tools are indispensable seems untrue.

Nowadays I do everything in my CAT-tool of choice (and since my CAT-tool is Across, many CAT-tool users seem to find that strange, if I may judge that on the amount of disapproving comments whenever I praise the many qualities of that particular CAT-tool), and I couldn't do without it anymore. But that is just me.

[Edited at 2013-09-29 08:57 GMT]

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Yes, the knowledge of CAT tools is important, even if you don't need them (not quite in concordance with software companies, who try to convince the world that no translation ever can be done without, and that their software is the best thing since the invention of cold beer and furthermore will lead to world peace or something). Makes you wonder how people were ever able to communicate around the planet without this product.

It is crucial to know how this kind of software works to be able to decide if you need this tool for your work or not.

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CAT Tools are NOT necessary, they are useful.
Every translation can be carried out without CAT Tools. Some translations could not even be done WITh CAT tools (would you translate a novel with CAT?).
I have translated thousands of texts without CAT tools, and now that I use one, I have to say I can translate more, my consistency has improved, but what I translate is highly repetitive.
So at the end of the day, the word "essential" when referring to a CAT tool, seems to me inappropriate.

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It depends on what kind of work you want to do. For a literary translation it's not much use at all, but if you want to translate something more technical and compete against all the other translators out there who have CAT tools, then it is probably essential to have some kind of knowledge.

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It depends on what kind of work you want to do. For a literary translation it's not much use at all, but if you want to translate something more technical and compete against all the other translators out there who have CAT tools, then it is probably essential to have some kind of knowledge.

This is where the global perception of CAT tools becomes really creepy.

I and many other colleagues translated repetitive websites and technical manuals before CAT tools were even developed. The trick? A sheet of paper and a pen. Looking back, workflow and execution went much faster.

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some types of translation, especially the types that require a lot of terms which are listed in a catalogue manner -- not like a narrative, or text with full sentences . CAT tools are not anything essential for any translator, and they are totally useless, or almost useless, in certain types of translation, such as literary, and any type of more general, everyday vocabulary translation. What is essential, however, is the most advanced knowledge of both languages (the source and the target), knowledge of the translation theory, and various translation techniques.

The basic knowledge, however, how to use CAT tools and what they are about might be important for any translator. This could be learned in an hour or two, or by participation in a CAT tool seminar. You should know what you are rejecting, even if you want to reject it completely, or criticize it, or perhaps some may decide that the CAT tools may be useful for them for certain types of translation.

[Edited at 2013-09-29 12:44 GMT]

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It's USEFUL in technical translation etc.
It really is.
But I don't like the idea of being "forced" to pay XXX USD/EUR every year (or every other year) in order to use the latest version which, again, agencies demand. Although I tend to have the most up-to date version that gives you advantages (and not just cosmetic changes).
If you have several CAT tools, you end up paying thousands of EUR/USD in e.g. 10 years just for the initial version + upgrades - while those upgrades do not really offer much improvement.
I also don't like the idea of just adding a small adjustment and making it "a new version". Or making a new version which is incompatible with the previous versions.
I'm eager to buy upgrades when I see nice advantages, upgrades, etc. and you can't do that every year.
And I usually like buying upgrades after at least the first service pack, when lots of bugs are resolved.
That said, I know some great translators who don't use CAT tools. But CAT tools make translation quicker.

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